Building your own home video editing studio

So you have decided that you want to get into editing video but don't know where to start. Here is a quick and short guide to getting started on your home video editing studio. The first thing that you have to decide is what is your budget because equipment can get very pricey very quickly.

Start by determining what you really need right now and what you can do without until you get more serious about your video editing. The priority levels generally go camera, computer, lighting, microphones and editing software.

The camera in my opinion is the most important piece of equipment that you are going to invest in. Simply because if you don't have a camera you will not have any video to work with, depending on what you plan to do with the camera you don't have to go with the highest end camera to get good shots. I do recommend getting a handy-cam because not all DSLR camera's have the ability to focus while shooting video.

Having a computer is up there with the camera because while you can shoot a whole video without editing it, that is the difficult way to shoot video. When it comes to getting a editing program you shouldn't have to, most computers in stores today come with at least a basic editing program. This is why getting the editing software shouldn't be your biggest priority.
With just the camera and computer you can get by but if you want to start getting a little more complicated you can get lighting equipment to take things to the next level. I have seen amateur photographers shooting on a budget using Styrofoam boards to reflect light as a poor man's lighting equipment. Lighting plays a big role in creating mood in a scene but if you are shooting in full lights or during the day you can really get by without it.

Microphones can be argued to be more important than lighting because if there isn't good sound then the film will not be very good. For starting out the built in microphone on your camera should do a decent job, but if you want to have a more professional sounding film then you should look into getting an external microphone. Things get a little complicated when it comes to microphones because there are many different kinds that are used for different purposes.

Finally we have the software for editing video. These programs range from iMovie or Windows Movie maker all the way to Adobe Premeire Pro or Final Cut Pro. When I first started getting into video I was using mostly Windows Movie maker and it was surprisingly a decent program for simple edits. When you want to start getting into more complicated things I recommend doing a search and asking around for recommendations for programs people like before investing time and money in learning a program that you aren't going to enjoy using.

All together just getting started with video editing it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. A $300 camera and a $1000 laptop will be more than enough to get your video editing hobby up and running in no time!